The Horse Soldiers (1959)

Civil Western

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Director John Ford combined his two strong suits, the western and the war movie, for this Civil War-era tale of Union soldier Wayne and pacifist doctor William Holden marching deep into Rebel territory and facing all kinds of challenges; Southern Belle Constance Towers among them. Wayne and Holden bicker constantly and even attempt the usual Ford fistfight. It's a lesser Ford, rife with his backwards attempts at humor, but even a lesser Ford is still a film by one of the cinema's greatest poets. It's still very much worth a viewing. MGM's 2001 DVD transfer is slightly grainy, but the 2011 Blu-Ray release looks much sharper.